When Angels Deserve To Die
by Katriona
Summary: When a Whitelighter goes rogue, it could cost the Charmed Ones everything.
1. Disenchantment

When Angels Deserve To Die  
Chapter One: Dissidence  
  
Summary: When a Whitelighter goes rogue, it could cost the Charmed Ones everything.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognise. Zan, however, is mine.  
  
A/N: Reviews make me very happy :D  
  
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Zan fidgeted, restless. The Elders were droning on about something. He didn't know what it was about. He'd tuned them out a while ago. Zan sighed, bored and frustrated. Why couldn't they ever say something interesting?  
  
Zan's mind was wandering as usual, and as usual he did nothing to stop it. He thought back to when he'd first become a Whitelighter. He'd loved it, being able to help people, doing good. But he'd been so naive then. After the first four or five centuries, he'd began to be disenchanted and discontented with the Elders and their rules. Now, Zan wanted something more.  
  
He shook his head to clear it, and noticed that the Elders had stopped speaking. At the same time, he heard one of his charges calling. Sighing, he orbed out to do his job, however monotonous he found it.  
  
x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x  
  
Leo stood in the door to the nursery, rocking his son gently. It was four in the morning, but Leo was wide awake. Apparently, so was Wyatt. The baby showed no signs of wanting to go to bed, and instead started to cry if Leo paused for even a second.  
  
Still jiggling the baby, Leo moved closer to the bed where his wife lay. God, she was beautiful when she slept. He smiled, realizing that was the first time in a while he'd noticed something like that.  
  
"I guess I've just been too caught up in you to pay attention to anything else." he whispered to Wyatt. The baby cooed in response, then contorted his face. Recognizing this as the start of a crying jag, Leo started pacing around the room, hoping to keep the baby quiet and let his wife sleep.  
  
Unbeknownst to him, Piper had already begun to stir. Silently, she slipped out of bed while he was facing the other way, and surprised him by slipping her arms around him.  
  
"Hey," he said, turning around and giving her a kiss. Holding the baby with one hand, he used his free hand to pull Piper to him by encircling her waist, already tiny just three months after Wyatt's birth.  
  
"How long have you been up?" she asked, leaning against him and gently caressing the baby.  
  
"About an hour." he answered. "I thought babies were supposed to sleep a lot."  
  
Piper smiled lovingly at their son. "Oh, that's just one of those lies they tell people in order to make them want kids."  
  
"I figured that out an hour ago." Leo replied dryly.  
  
Piper giggled. "Here, let me try." Leo handed the baby over, and watched as Piper rummaged through the top drawer of their dresser. She pulled out a small bottle of scented oil that Paige had found at a baby store. Making a mental note to thank her sister, Piper used her free hand to squirt a drop of the oil onto her fingers. With that same hand, she began massaging Wyatt's chest.  
  
After a little while of this, Wyatt began to get sleepy. Piper placed him gently in his crib, and turned out the light.  
  
"How did you do that?" Leo asked.  
  
Piper shrugged. "Just something I picked up from watching those late-night shows that tell you how to raise your kids."  
  
Leo's eyebrows shot up. Piper had always dismissed those shows, insisting she and Leo were perfectly capable of taking care of their own baby.  
  
"Well, I had to watch something while I was up with him last night!" Piper exclaimed. Leo's look of disbeilef changed to amusement. Piper glared at him. "Don't. Say. Anything."  
  
"I didn't say anything." Leo said innocently.  
  
Piper rolled her eyes, but allowed him to pull her onto the bed. She was too exhausted to defend her choice of late-night television, and he was too tired to tease her. Curling up together beneath the quilt, they both fell asleep instantly. 


	2. Intrigue

Chapter 2: Intrigue  
  
A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reading this. Please, review, and check out my other Charmed fics.  
  
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"Hi, Sally, what now?" Zan asked as he orbed in, expecting to see one of his more bothersome charges. Instead, he found himself in a dark, dank, cave-like room, surrounded by people in long, black robes. When his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he realized that it was the exact opposite of Up There. He looked around, smiling. Already he liked the place.  
  
"Sorry for tricking you," one of the robed men said, doing a perfect imitation of Sally's high-pitched, whiney voice, "but we didn't think you'd come any other way."  
  
"You're probably right," Zan conceded. "So what am I doing here?"  
  
"We heard you were feeling restless Up There, with the Elders." the man, obviously a leader of some sort, said. "We thought you might enjoy a... A change of scenery."  
  
Zan raised his eyebrows, suspicious but intrigued. "Change of scenery?"  
  
"We'd like you to join us." the leader said. "Think of the possibilities. The Elders, with all their regulations, make life so dull. We won't restrict you. Imagine: immortality and freedom. You can have both with us."  
  
"What's the catch?" Zan asked, his distrustful nature shining through.  
  
"Catch?" the leader repeated, laughing. "Catch? The 'catch', if you can even call it that, is loyalty. We are a tight-knit group, as you can see. We'll welcome you as a brother, so long as you don't betray us. You can handle that, can't you?"  
  
"Of course I can." Zan retorted. "But what, exactly, am I pledging loyalty to? Who are you people?"  
  
The leader laughed again, a harsh, grating chuckle. "All in good time, my brother; you'll know all in good time. But first, we must complete the initiation..."  
  
x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x  
  
"Piper, where's Paige?" Phoebe demanded, not even bothering to greet her older sister as she stormed into the kitchen.  
  
"Well, hello to you, to." Piper said, bouncing Wyatt in her arms.  
  
"Hi, sweetie," she said, leaning down to hug her sister. "And hello to you," she added, using extra-sugary baby talk as she kissed her tiny nephew. "Now, can you make your Mommy tell me where to find Auntie Paige?"  
  
"I'm right here." Paige said, orbing in behind Phoebe. The latter Charmed One jumped, not expecting her younger sister to appear so suddenly.  
  
Piper started laughing, and even Wyatt cooed in amusement.  
  
"Aww, sorry, honey," Paige said, trying to sound apologetic while supressing her own giggles.  
  
"Mmm-hmm. Sure ya are." Phoebe responded playfully. "You ready to go?"  
  
Paige nodded. "All set."  
  
"Wait. Go where?" Piper asked.  
  
Phoebe and Paige exchanged glances. "Well, seeing as a certain sibling's birthday is coming up, we thought we'd go... out."  
  
"Out?" Piper repeated, her face flushing with pleasure at the thought of a surprise.  
  
"Out." Phoebe confirmed. "And that's all you're going to hear from us."  
  
Piper raised her eyebrows. "I doubt that, 'cause see, neither of you can keep a secret."  
  
Phoebe sighed. "You're right, we can't."  
  
Paige nodded in agreement, but then sly smiles formed on both their lips. "ANd that is precisely why we told Wyatt." Paige said, grabbing Phoebe.  
  
"Bye, honey." both girls called as Paige orbed them out.  
  
Piper sighed, and looked at her son. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me?" she asked hopefully. Wyatt cooed. "Yeah," Piper said, "I didn't think so." 


	3. Initiation

The initiation didn't take long. The leader, Onuon, brought Zan to an alleyway that was out of sight from the main road. The place was deserted, except for a lone woman walking along. It didn't take Zan long to figure out what he was to do.  
  
"She's such an easy target." Onuon said. "I'm practically handing her to you."  
  
Zan took a deep breath. The woman was a witch; he could sense her. He fely a deep pity for her, and sorrow for what he was about to do, but that didn't stop him. He didn't want to be a Whitelighter anymore, and if this was the way to gain power, he was content to grin and bear it.  
  
Zan reached out his hands toward the woman. He could feel his power shifting, becoming evil. The usually white light that emitted from his healing power was now coming out black, and as he stretched his hands over the witch, she collapsed, unable to breathe. Minutes later, she died. Zan had made his first kill.  
  
"Congratulations, brother." Onuon said, welcoming Zan with open arms.  
  
Zan nodded. "Thanks. Now, you promised me an explanation."  
  
Onuon laughed. "Impatient, aren't we? Hmm, I suppose that's why you left the other side. Ah, well. Don't worry, I'll tell you everything soon enough. For now, we'd better get out of here. One of your colleagues from Up There is coming."  
  
x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+x  
  
Piper was giving Wyatt a bath when Leo orbed in. Instinctively, she knew something was wrong without even turning around to look at him. "Honey, what is it?"  
  
Leo didn't answer at first. He came over and kissed his wife and son hello, then sighed and addressed Piper's question. "There's been a demonic attack. A witch was found on a side street. She died of asphyxiation. Her Whitelighter is Liem, a good friend of mine."  
  
"Honey, I'm so sorry," Piper said symapthetically, knowing how hard it was when Whitelighters lost a charge. "Do they know who attacked her?"  
  
Leo shook his head. "That's why I came home so early. They want you and your sisters to check it out."  
  
Piper nodded. "Paige, Phoebe!" she called.  
  
The other two-thirds of the Charmed Ones came running in the door, wwaring identical mischeivious expressions.  
  
"Okay, what are you up to now?" Piper asked.  
  
"Up to? What do you mean, sweetie?" Paige asked innocently.  
  
"Yeah, okay." Piper snorted. "Allright, I'll find out later. Right now, we've got bigger problems." She repeated what Leo had told her about the witch.  
  
"I'll check the Book." Paige volunteered.  
  
"I'll go help her." Phoebe offered. The two sisters ran upstairs.  
  
Piper raised her eyebrows, then looked at Leo. "Okay, what the hell is going on with them?"  
  
A guiltly expression suddenly appeared on Leo's face. "Um, how would I know? I, uh, I have to go... Up There." He kissed Piper, then orbed out quickly.  
  
She stared suspiciously at the spot where her husband had stood, then turned back to her son. "Does everybody know but me?" she asked him. He cooed, and Piper grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."  
  
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A/N: I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going with this fic, but I've got a lot going on right now, so reviews would really help motivate me to work on this. Hint, hint. 


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